The G7 reiterated its demand that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile program even as North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile on Thursday.
“We once again reiterate our demand that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner and fully comply with all obligations under the relevant UNSC resolutions,” said a statement released by the G7 foreign ministers.
It further says “North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).”
G7 Foreign Ministers comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union called the launch a clear, flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) and poses a grave threat to regional and international peace and stability.
Urging the international community for a robust response it said,” The frequency of North Korea’s repeated blatant violations of UNSCRs juxtaposed with the UNSC’s corresponding inaction because of some members’ obstruction is cause for significant alarm. We urge the UNSC Members to follow through on their commitments.”
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Despite the repeated calls from the international community, North Korea continues to intensify its escalatory actions through a record number of ballistic missile launches, in its pursuit to advance and diversify its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
“We call on North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea without preconditions,” it said.
“We deplore North Korea’s choice to divert its limited resources to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, thereby aggravating the suffering of the people in North Korea and contributing to human rights violations and abuses,” it added.
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